The present invention relates to a broadcast marketing system, and the elements thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and apparatus for broadcasting, capturing, storing, selecting and then forwarding product data and viewer choices to vendor host computers for order fulfillment and viewer choice data collection. Additionally, the present invention relates to a system and apparatus for favorably influencing TV viewer and radio listener channel and station selections.
There are numerous marketing systems and tools known in the art for use with television (TV) or radio broadcasts. The most common and straightforward marketing technique is the ubiquitous TV or radio commercial, sometimes referred to as simply the TV/radio xe2x80x9cadxe2x80x9d (short for advertisement). The TV/radio ad is carefully crafted by those skilled in the marketing arts to convey carefully selected information and/or to promote a particular vendor""s product(s) and/or service(s). The desired end-result, of course, is that the viewer/listener will be sufficiently informed or entertained by the commercial to the point where he or she will attentatively watch or listen to the entire commercial, and as a result thereof, have his or her interest peaked sufficiently to either want to purchase or use the product or service described therein, seek out further information regarding such product and/or service, or at least remember the described product and/or service so that the vendor""s products will be favorably considered for purchase or use at a later date.
Many vendors sell and promote their products directly, without a distribution chain. The commercials for such vendors may be specifically designed to elicit a xe2x80x9cdirect-responsexe2x80x9d from the viewer and/or listener by having the viewer/listener immediately telephone an indicated number, or write to an indicated address, in order to place an order for a product or service being described. Some TV networks, e.g., The Home Shopping Network, available on many cable TV systems, does nothing but continuously broadcast such direct-response advertisements.
Broadcast commercials are usually very effective at achieving their objectives. For that reason, broadcast providers, i.e., TV and radio networks and broadcast stations, are able to demand large sums of money for broadcast xe2x80x9ctimexe2x80x9d during which a vendor""s commercial will be broadcast. Such broadcast time may be, e.g., a relatively short 30 or 60 seconds, as is common with the ever-present TV/radio commercial, or may be much longer, e.g., 30 minutes, as is the case with the xe2x80x9cinfomercial.xe2x80x9d
Heretofore, when a television viewer wished to respond to a direct response ad and purchase the item shown or described, the viewer needed a pen and paper, a lighted room and a telephone. If the viewer happened to be watching or listening to the ad in the dark and did not have a pen and paper handy, it was unlikely that the viewer would or could respond to the ad.
To address this need, some cable companies provide set-top boxes, with direct telephone hook-ups, that allow for immediate ordering over a connected telephone line. Typically, such set-top boxes are used to order pay-per-view (PPV) events such as sports events or recent or classic movies.
Disadvantageously, when using a set-top box, a viewer must order during the commercial and cannot participate in a personal or business telephone conversation during the commercial (because the telephone line is busy making the order). Moreover, the set-top box must be permanently connected to the telephone system, which may require some technical skill, a special wall jack and a potential loss of privacy. Furthermore, typically only one set-top box exists per household, thus the set-top box may not be located, e.g., in the bedroom, where late night TV viewing is common. Additionally, the set-top box can only dial one telephone number, which limits the types of products and services that can be ordered through the box. Also, the set-top box is not able to interact with radio ads. Hence, it is evident that significant improvements are still needed in the way in which a viewer/listener can order products or services from a direct-response broadcast commercial.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,860 (Fitzpatrick, et al.), there is described a home shopping device that involves connecting a set-top box to a personal computer with a connected modem to capture orders. As soon as the user presses a button or other device to evidence his or her interest in purchasing a product being shown or described (which by necessity occurs during the commercial or ad) the computer captures the order and then immediately dials a vendor""s host computer so that the captured order may be transferred to the vendor. Disadvantageously, such system requires an expensive computer to perform this function, and the majority of households with televisions still do not have such a computer, many of those that do have a computer, do not have a modem, and those with a modem may be busy with the Internet or other on-line activities. Thus, many TV viewers, even if they have a telephone, are precluded from using such a system. Moreover, once the user has placed his or her order, there is no convenient way for the user to change his or her mind.
No current receiving device known to the applicants will allow a radio listener, driving in a car, to capture the product code, station call letters, and advertiser""s phone number and then subsequently, after a listener-selected waiting period, safely order the desired product. The alternative is the pad of paper stuck to the windshield and a pen, if available. Because it is not safe for a driver to write while driving, and because there are always a large number of drivers who make up a significant portion of the radio listening audience, there is a need to provide drivers with a tool or device that allows them to safely capture marketing information broadcast over the air waves, and eventually use this information to place orders.
Thus, from the above, it is seen that there is a need in the art for a broadcast marketing system that allows a viewer/listener (xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d), wherever he or she may be, to conveniently and safely place an order for a product or service described in a broadcast commercial. Such a system should be available for use, at all hours of the day, by all users having a television or radio (or other broadcast receiver) in combination with a telephone, without requiring such user to have an expensive computer with a modem. Moreover, such a system should provide the user a waiting period during which he or she can rethink the order that has been captured and change his or her mind, if necessary.
An important element of any broadcast marketing system is the ability to control, at least to a limited extent, the stations or channels to which the viewer or listener is watching or listening. To that end, broadcast providers are continuously seeking programming material that appeals to a wider and ever-growing segment of the viewing/listening audience so that the product/service provider""s commercials may be heard or seen by such ever-growing groups. Significantly, to the extent that the broadcast provider can assure the product/service provider a larger share of the viewing/listening audience, e.g., as occurs each year during broadcast of the xe2x80x9cSuper Bowlxe2x80x9d, the more the broadcast provider can charge for air time used to broadcast the product/service provider""s commercial.
It is generally accepted that the viewer/listener should have final control over the stations or channels that are watched or heard. To this end, it is known in the art to provide, e.g., a television remote control unit that selects a preferred channel or station, activated by a designated single button on the unit. Moreover, many radios, including car radios, can be programmed to preferred stations which can be tuned in by pressing a single button. However, to the applicants"" knowledge, there are no known remote control units, or programmable radios, that activate a product/service or broadcast provider""s preferred channel or station at power-on. While some cable companies force a menu channel at power-on, such menu channel is typically so uninteresting that many viewers condition themselves to never look at it, and therefore immediately change the channel selection to a more interesting channel of choice. Moreover, the menu channel selection at power-on is not controlled by the relatively inexpensive remote unit, but is rather controlled by a set box, or by a signal from the cable company. What is needed, therefore, is a remote control unit that can be widely and inexpensively distributed to a large group of TV (or other broadcast receiver) owners, and which automatically, in an unassuming and unpretentious manner, always tunes the broadcast receiver to a preferred channel or station at power-on. Heretofore, all known systems, e.g., cable company systems, that select a preferred menu channel at power-on have always selected channels that are uninteresting, e.g., a menu channel. The viewer will be likely to appreciate skipping over the menu channel to a live interesting channel.
Disadvantageously, while some remote control units do provide a single button selection feature for selecting one or more preferred channels, some cable companies may, from time to time, re-assign channel numbers. Thus, permanently pre-programmed remote control units may become obsolete. There is thus a need in the art for a remote control unit that may be used as part of a broadcast marketing system and which can be reprogrammed in a secure manner, as needed.
Another important element of a broadcast marketing system is the ability to monitor the viewing and/or listening habits of the viewing/listening audience. To the applicants"" knowledge, no current viewer/listener device keeps track of viewer channel selections in combination with viewer buying selections. Thus, a point-of-purchase device that could report viewer channel selections and product selections would represent a significant advance in the broadcast marketing art, and would provide a very valuable tool for advertisers and marketers. There is thus a need for such a device.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,185 (Dufresne et al.), and in numerous other patents, there is shown a system that keeps track of the viewing habits of television viewers. The fact that numerous patents exist for such tracking systems suggests that none have proven very effective at their desired goal. Such systems are either too expensive or too cumbersome and inefficient to use. And even if used, such systems miss the mark because they provide the wrong information. It is not the amorphous viewing habits of the viewers that the product/service providers (the ones who effectively finance the broadcast providers) want or need to know. Rather, the desired information is the television viewing choices or habits of the product/service buyers. There is thus a need in the art for a broadcast marketing system that includes the ability to track the viewing choices of the those viewers who actually purchase advertised products or services.
The present invention provides a Broadcast Marketing System (BMS) that addresses the above and other needs. More particularly, the present invention relates to a BMS which creates, transmits, captures, stores and forwards home shopping product ordering information in a manner that increases the likelihood that a TV or radio viewer/listener (the xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d) will order a product promoted on a direct response commercial. In addition, the BMS disclosed herein may be used to promote the development of leads in response to institutional ads.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a Remote Unit (RU), e.g., a specially configured, handheld, remote control unit, is provided as part of the BMS. Such Remote Unit (RU) is designed for use with a broadcast receiver (TV or radio). Among other features, the Remote Unit controls the turn-on channel/station selection. Advantageously, by controlling the turn-on channel/station selection, a marketable asset is created that is rentable or leasable by the BMS provider. Further, in order to make the Remote Unit more versatile in an ever-changing broadcast media market, the Remote Unit may be reprogrammed in a secure manner, e.g., over-the-air or while connected via an internal modem, by the BMS provider so that it tunes to one of a multiplicity of preferred channels at power turn-on; and/or so that preferred channel/station selection buttons on the Remote Unit (herein referred to as xe2x80x9chotxe2x80x9d buttons) can be reprogrammed to a desired set of preferred channels or stations. In this manner, the preferred turn-on channel/station, as well as the xe2x80x9chotxe2x80x9d button channels, may be changed from time to time, as needs or desires dictate. This capability to reprogram the Remote Unit represents another rentable or leasable asset for the BMS provider.
Advantageously, the channel or station to which the receiver is automatically tuned, when power is first turned on, carries its normal programming material. Thus, this material will vary from day-to-day and hour-to-hour and will rarely, if ever, be the same. Hence, the user will either not notice that the receiver is always tuned to the same station or channel at power-on; or, even if he or she does notice, will not care because the broadcast material will be xe2x80x9cinterestingxe2x80x9d to watch or listen to, at least until the viewer/listener decides he or she wants to watch or listen to a different channel or station. Until such time, however, the present invention advantageously presents to the user a preferred channel or station, which allows the broadcast provider to put before the user its preferred channel.
Advantageously, the automatic tuning to a Preferred power-on channel is a powerful asset to the broadcaster/provider. It means that the user may turn off his/her TV set at night with the TV tuned to the channel of a competitor broadcaster, but that the TV will come on in the morning tuned to the channel of the provider/broadcaster. This marketing advantage should encourage the broadcaster/provider to distribute the BMS/RU to users free of charge or below cost. Alternatively, the Power-on channel selection can be rented to a television network by the RU provider. Because the RU is reprogrammable, the rental can be for a prescribed time period, e.g., one month, and thereafter terminated (reprogrammed to another preferred channel) if the rental fee is not paid.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the reprogrammable Remote Unit (RU) may be reprogrammed over the telephone, only when an authorized password is presented, during the placement of an order (i.e., when the Remote Unit is linked to an order-taking computer) or at the instigation of the viewer/user.
An advantage offered by the present invention is that the BMS may capture TV viewing (or radio listening) choices and product or service selections and make them available to subscribers. Here, xe2x80x9csubscribersxe2x80x9d means those companies or individuals who provide products or services to the viewer/listener and will value such information.
Another advantage of the BMS, the present invention, is that it may be configured to allow the user to participate in voter, public opinion, focus group and/or TV-watching/radio-listening surveys.
The main components or elements of a BMS made in accordance with the present invention include:
(1) an Enhanced Broadcast (TV or radio) commercial;
(2) a Remote Unit and associated equipment, e.g., telephone cradle, or other means for connecting with a telephone line;
(3) an Order-taking Host (remote) Computer; and/or
(4) a Provider""s Host Computer. Each of these elements is briefly described below.
(1) The Enhanced Broadcast Commercial
The Enhanced Broadcast commercial comprises what appears to be an otherwise conventional broadcast commercial, but which also includes as an integral part thereof, e.g., embedded therewithin, an identification signal referred to as the xe2x80x9cPick Recordxe2x80x9d signal. The Pick Record signal can be captured by the Remote Unit, stored, and subsequently transmitted to an order-taking remote computer and/or provider""s host computer. The Pick Record signal identifies important information related to the product or service described in the Enhanced Broadcast commercial, e.g., the product/service code, the telephone number of the remote computer (either the order-taking computer or the vendor""s host computer) that is to be contacted if an order is placed, and the station""s call letters. In a preferred embodiment, the Pick Record signal medium comprises a Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) sequence that is broadcast during the Enhanced Broadcast commercial, e.g., at the end of the Enhanced Broadcast commercial. Advantageously, DTMF signals may be used as the Pick Record signal medium without any modification to existing TV or radio receivers. Further, DTMF signals are sufficiently unique so as to allow them to be readily xe2x80x9cheardxe2x80x9d by the Remote Unit, even in a less-than-quiet environment. Alternatively, the Pick Record signal may comprise other types of signals, such as infrared (IR) light signals, generated by a specially-configured Television or Radio receiver, or by devices added on to the TV or radio receiver. The disadvantage of using IR signals as the Pick Record signal is that such signals are not compatible with existing TV and radio receivers (i.e., most TV""s on the market today include the ability to receive IR signals from the remote control unit, but they do not include the ability to transmit IR signals to the remote control unit); however, such alternate signals could readily be incorporated into a new generation of TV and radio receivers, or easily configured as add-on devices.
(2) The Remote Unit
The Remote Unit comprises a small, handheld, low power, transceiver that has the general appearance of a conventional remote control unit. Advantageously, however, the Remote Unit includes many features not found on a conventional remote control unit. For example, it may include up to four (or more) preferred channel selection buttons that each tune to a selected preferred channel or station when pressed. Likewise, the Remote Unit tunes to a preferred channel or station when power is first turned on to the broadcast receiver.
The Remote unit performs several functions. In general, these functions may be summarized as follows:
a) The Remote Unit selectively captures the Pick Record signal, e.g., it captures the DTMF tones (or other type of signal) that accompany the Enhanced Broadcast commercial when the viewer/listener (xe2x80x9cuserxe2x80x9d) makes one or more product selections. This captured information is stored within the Remote Unit and, at a time that is convenient to the user, the User selects the desired Pick Record and the Remote Unit dials the vendor""s host computer. Once it contacts the host computer, it performs a handshake sequence with the host computer to establish a communication link. Once such a link is established, the Remote Unit uploads information to the host computer, e.g., the station viewing log, user-identification data, and product selections (Pick Record signals).
b) Typically, a special cradle, or equivalent (e.g., an RJ-11 jack that allows a conventional phone cable to connect the Remote Unit with a standard telephone RJ-11 jack in the user""s home), is provided with the Remote Unit to facilitate establishing a telephone or other link between the Remote Unit and the host computer when the user is ready to send his/her order to the order-taking remote computer. Such cradle, or equivalent, establishes an electrical connection between the Remote Unit and the user""s telephone line so that circuitry within the Remote Unit can dial the host computer.
c) The Remote Unit (RU), as indicated previously, tunes to the station selected by the provider of the RU at power-on. The RU also selects stations or channels with preferred buttons, programmed by the provider of the remote unit. The RU, as controlled by the user, also selects stations or channels by number buttons and up/down channel buttons.
d) The RU includes circuitry that accepts the vendor""s host computer download of a station number to a preferred xe2x80x9clast ordered fromxe2x80x9d button, if such vendor is authorized by the RU""s provider and also downloads the correct date and time.
e) The RU may also accept download information from the provider""s host computer that defines or redefines the channel/station numbers for the preferred buttons, as well as a password(s) and tables of product abbreviations. The password(s) is/are used with all downloading of information in order to assure that only authorized downloads occur. In this manner, the preferred channel buttons, as well as the password itself, can be reprogrammed from time to time, if necessary.
f) The RU uploads certain identifying information to the host computer that uniquely identifies it from all of the other RU""s from which the host computer may receive information. Such identifying information typically includes, e.g., a serial number. The serial number identifies the RU, including the version of the RU, and may be used by the host computer to facilitate correlation of demographics and user identification. Thus, for example, the host computer may maintain a collection of user files, wherein a given serial number is assigned to a particular user""s name, address, location, and other information (e.g., telephone number, credit card number, etc.) so that the computer can immediately correlate an uploaded product order (or other uploaded information, such as survey information) with a specific user.
g) The RU may accept code sequences to allow for reprogramming of the RU. That is, the RU functions may themselves be programmed or reprogrammed as circumstances and needs warrant. Thus, for example, the RU may be reprogrammed to accept a special application program that facilitates a survey response and data uploading, or other single-use applications or data uploading, not necessarily related to sales of products.
h) The RU contains start-up programming data that, if it detects no data for TV IR codes, will direct the RU to dial the provider""s host computer and request a start-up sequence. The client representative will ask the user what brand and type of TV, Cable box and VCR he/she has and then the host computer will download the IR codes, power-on channel and hot button channels.
(3) The Order-taking Host Computer
The Order-taking Host computer, also sometimes referred to herein as the xe2x80x9cremote computerxe2x80x9d, or the xe2x80x9chost computerxe2x80x9d, is a conventional computer located at a vendor site, service-provider site, or contract fulfillment provider site that is typically located many miles distant from, and perhaps even many time-zones from, the location of the user. That is, while the user may live, e.g., in Los Angeles, Calif., the host computer may physically be located in another city and state, such as Denver, Colo.; Miami, Fla.; New York, N.Y.; Houston, Tex., or even another country, such as Germany or South Africa. The order-taking host computer is thus that distant computer with which the Remote Unit makes first contact when it calls the telephone number it receives as part of the Pick Record. There may be more than one order-taking host computer. The order-taking host computer is programmed to receive and process any information that is uploaded from the user""s Remote Unit. For example, the order-taking host computer may be programmed to: accept the telephone call from the remote unit, handshake with the remote unit so as to establish a communication link therewith, accept the product Pick Record, and optionally interact with the Remote Unit to complete the order or to switch to or include a live operator to assist in completion of the order. Moreover, when authorized, the order-taking host computer may also upload the user""s TV viewing log and product selections stored in the RU, if authorized by the provider. The order-taking host computer may also, when authorized, download a station number to the xe2x80x9clast ordered fromxe2x80x9d button on the Remote Unit.
(4) The Provider""s Host Computer
The Provider""s Host computer is another distant computer that may be used as part of the Broadcast Marketing System described herein. Typically, the provider""s host computer is owned and maintained by, or at least operated under contract with, the BMS service provider. The provider""s host computer may optionally be used to reprogram the Remote Unit, based on the serial number assigned to the viewer/listener""s RU, phone number, location and media market. For example, the provider""s host computer may be used to program all remote units within a given geographical or market area with a certain preferred power-on channel or station. The provider""s host computer may also optionally handle product orders for subscribing vendors, or may facilitate conducting surveys by responding to all RU""s that have dialed a specified phone number. The provider""s host computer may be, for some embodiments, the same computer as the order-taking host computer. That is, one computer may perform the functions of both the order-taking computer and the provider host computer.
Advantageously, it is an object of the present invention to provide a BMS that provides a low-cost store-and-forward device compatible with existing TV and radio receivers that facilitates home shopping by capturing product ordering information, even in the dark, without a pen or pencil, in a less-than-quiet environment, that can be used later to activate the order, via a telephone, with no special technical skill required by the user.
It is another object of the invention to provide a BMS that increases the effectiveness of all direct-response and institutional TV and radio advertising.
It is a feature of the invention, to tune a television set or radio receiver to a preferred channel or station when the TV or radio is first turned on (i.e., at xe2x80x9cpower-onxe2x80x9d ), as selected by a rent-paying sponsor.
It is another feature of the invention to provide a Remote Unit for use with a TV or radio having reprogrammable, secure, hot buttons, i.e., preferred station or channel selection buttons. The reprogrammability of these buttons allows the Remote Unit to be adaptable as technology changes and as new stations/channels are introduced, channel designations are changed, and/or new appliances or devices enter the market place. The security of the hot buttons, which allows them to be reprogrammed only when a correct protective password is given, assures that the provider maintains control.
It is still another feature of the invention, in accordance with one embodiment thereof, to allow the user to participate in polled interactive real-time surveys.
It is an additional feature of the invention, in accordance with another embodiment thereof, to allow the user to capture or record audio text from a radio, television receiver or telephone and then have the choice to upload the text to a personal computer or to retransmit the text to another user via a telephone.
Still another feature of the invention is to provide a device that captures and maintains a log of the TV-viewing choices of the user, and that then transmits such log to the order-taking computer of the product advertiser. Such viewing log, in combination with a log of those products/services actually purchased by the user (maintained, e.g., by the order-taking host computer), would thereby provide meaningful and valuable marketing information. The present invention advantageously comprises a point-of-purchase device that can report viewer channel selections and product selections, thereby allowing advertisers and marketers to know what programs were actually watched by actual buyers. The advertisers and marketers would also be able to learn the purchasing patterns of buyers, including how much time elapses between purchases, dollar amounts, and types of products purchased.
It is a further feature of the invention to allow a radio listener, driving or riding in a car, to readily capture the product code, station call letters, and advertiser""s phone number, and then subsequently order the desired product, all while safely driving in traffic. Such ability represents a significant improvement over existing techniques used by radio listeners traveling in a car, which techniques entail keeping a pad of paper and pen/pencil in the car where they are readily accessible, e.g., in a shirt pocket or on the dashboard, and then trying to write information on the paper while driving the car, all of which may distract the driver and create an unsafe condition.